Page 97 - September2021

TF Racee Runaway winning the Streakin La Jolla Stakes at Louisiana Downs.
DIVING IN
Stephen reinvested his first-purchase profit. “Dad was always just one foot into the horse business but once I decided to do it, I dove right in,” he says. “We were fortunate enough to buy some good mares and we ran them ourselves or sold them and then purchased them after they ran. A lot of the mares we own are ones that we made.”
HIS LIST OF ALL-TIME BEST RUNNERS TO DATE INCLUDES:
• TF Ms Special Perry (2007, Special Leader-
Dashadee, Mr Jess Perry). Stephen says he called the dam’s breeder, Robert Gentry, to
buy her unraced dam, Dashadee (2003, Mr Jess Perry-Deelish, First Down Dash) before a sale, but she was priced out of his budget. “It was the year the ice storm had hit, and so there weren’t a lot of people at the sale,” Stephen says. “I ended up buying Dashadee in the ring and we raised TF Ms Special Perry off her; that’s why she means so much to me. Dashadee has produced quite a few black-type runners.”
TF Ms Special Perry won two of eight starts, with two seconds and one third, tallying $116,625 in just over a year. She won the Firecracker Futurity-G2 and ran fourth in the Evangeline Downs Futurity.
TF Shez Jess Dashin winning the Louisiana Bred Lassie Futurity at Delta Downs.
• TF Racee Runaway (2014, Sir Runaway Dash-Racee Rainbows, Streakin La Jolla). Ranked 11th by Earnings in 2016, the Graded stakes winner compiled a 23-4-5-3 record with $536,586 in earnings. He won the Louisiana QHBA Futurity-G1 (the Louisiana Million) and ran fourth in the Louisiana QHBA Sale Futurity-G1.
• TF Shez Jess Dashin (2017, Sir Runaway Dash-Jess Ought To Go Now, Mr Jess Perry). She earned $241,026. “I’ve had horses make more money than her, but she came out, ran second in the Mardi Gras Futurity [G2], and then came back and won the Lassie Futurity [G2] and set two track records. She didn’t have a long career, but her career was very exciting!” Stephen says.
• TF Im That Guy (2013). A First Down Dash son of TF Ms Special Perry, the
Tate Farms/Vessels-bred colt amassed $698,144 with a third in the All American Futurity-G1; wins in the Hobbs America Derby-G3 and the Championship at Sunland Park Stakes-G1; and seconds in the Lovington Stakes-G2 and the Zia Park Championship Stakes-G1.
In addition to Dashadee, Stephen’s broodmare band includes XO Kate and Toast To Mallard.
TF Im That Guy winning The Championship at Sunland Park.
XO Kate (2005, Stoli-Streakin Kate, Streakin Six) earned $242,302 during her race career, with wins in the Texas Twister Stakes
at three and the Harrah’s Distaff Stakes and the Swift Stakes at six, and seconds in the Frances Carr Distaff Stakes-G3, the Delta Championship Challenge-G3, and the Sam Houston Championship Challenge. She ended her race career with 11 wins, five seconds and four thirds from 41 starts.
Toast To Mallard (2001, Toast To Dash- Got A Project, Special Project) earned $110,133, crossing the wire first in the Mardi Gras Derby-G3 and running second in the LQHBA Lassie Futurity.
XO Kate, shown after winning the Harrahs Distaff Stakes at Louisiana Downs.
TF Ms Special Perry winning the 2009 Firecracker Futurity at Delta Downs.
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